Paul Scholes thinks Jadon Sancho’s loan move from Manchester United to Aston Villa is ‘weird.’ The English winger, who joined the Red Devils for £73million in 2021, departed Old Trafford on deadline day.
Sancho spent last season on loan with Chelsea, with his United tenure marred by subpar performances. Despite showing early glimpses of promise in west London, Enzo Maresca’s side paid £5m not to make his stay permanent for a fee of £25m. He now embarks on his third loan in three years, having also re-joined Borussia Dortmund temporarily in 2024, though United icon Scholes does not quite understand the move to Villa Park.
“Emery might be good for him, but he is a weird signing,” admitted Scholes on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet. “We talked about the size of the pitch might be an issue for him, Villa Park is massive. A lack of pace, a lack of legs, it concerns you.
“He has got ability, but what is his strength? Does he cut inside and smash it in the top corner? Can he beat a man? He possibly links with a centre forward. He probably has the skill to go past someone, but they catch him. He can’t go on again.”
As a teenager, the 25-year-old looked like a star in the making for Dortmund, having spent time in both Watford and Manchester City’s academies. His impressive outings in Germany saw United part with a whopping £73m for him just four years ago.
A spat with Ten Hag, borne out of a social media post in which Sancho claimed the manager was a liar after he was dropped from a clash against Arsenal, saw him frozen out. A corner looked to have been turned when he was given a lifeline back with Dortmund, but his subsequent Chelsea spell failed, and he now has a new manager to try and win over in Unai Emery.
The 25-year-old winger’s contract expires next year unless United exercise an option to extend it by another 12 months. Villa will pay 80 per cent of his wages, plus a loan fee. There is no option to buy.
Sancho’s former team-mate Marcus Rashford spent half the season at Villa Park last year and came away rejuvenated from the loan move. He has since sealed another switch to Barcelona. Yet, Carragher, who appeared alongside Scholes, does not see any of Rashford’s X-factors in Sancho.
“With Marcus Rashford, even though I’ve criticised him, I can picture his pace, his shooting, his free kicks, the power he puts into the ball,” added Carragher. “With Sancho, I just don’t know what his thing is – I can’t picture it in my head.”
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